Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778) is the pen name of Francois-Marie Arouet, a French philosopher, historian, essayist, and writer who was a key figure in the French Enlightenment. He was a poet, dramatist, and theoretical physicist, among other things. He was a well-known secularist, a Church critic, and a supporter of the separation of Church and State. Taking a stand like this and arguing for freedom of expression put him generations ahead of his time.

Voltaire was one of the first authors to achieve international acclaim and commercial success. One of his accomplishments was that he went beyond the limits of France to become a well-known writer who influenced minds all throughout Europe. He wrote a number of plays and nearly fifty books, including his most renowned and lasting, Candice, in addition to his works on every topic conceivable, including race, slavery, and economics. His polemics sarcastically mocked bigotry, religious orthodoxy, and the institutions of his day in France.